The Qarma Q - A New Trail in Car Design

QarmaQ blazes a new trail in car design with panoramic wrap-around glazing using GE’s Lexan™ polycarbonate resin.

Qarma Q, New Hyundai Car Design

As a joint project with GE Plastics, QarmaQ endowed car designers with greater expressive freedom to create complex three-dimensional shapes that could not have been achieved with conventional production methods and materials such as metal and glass. Departing from conventional car design that combines a lower body and a glass cabin on top, QarmaQ blazes a new trail with a panoramic wrap-around glazing area using GE’s Lexan™ polycarbonate resin. This part sits between the two pronounced "muscles" above the front and rear wheels. The C-shaped side window enables innovative helicopter-like downward visibility and is a key design feature demonstrating the new glazing technology.

Connected by unique glazed surfaces, the exterior design relates strongly to, and interacts effortlessly with the interior. The unique division between the solid bodywork and transparent glazed areas creates a new perspective, whether viewed from inside or from the pedestrian standpoint.

The exterior contours and fluidity of line have been refined to give an immediate impression of movement frozen in motion. This aesthetic is mirrored in the interior, so that the fusion and merging of the perceptual boundaries between inside and out delivers a feeling of integration and synchronisation to the overall appearance. Although QarmaQ does not have a high waistline or small window area (conventional methods to convey a feeling of protection), the exterior car design still communicates a commanding presence and a feeling of protection to the occupants.

The wrap-around windscreen, in conjunction with the elongated bonnet, delivers dramatic, almost classic, proportions and gives the car a unique sporty feeling. Finally, the contrast of the strong dark coloured areas to the lighter tonal areas emphasises QarmaQ’s off-road DNA.

In response to shrinking family sizes and emergent customer preferences, QarmaQ is a car specifically designed to carry four people in above average comfort. The extensive use of new materials and techniques has resulted in a more fluid, more unified interior, by allowing seamless integration of otherwise intrusive elements. As the sporting exterior proportions suggest, the QarmaQ is primarily a driver’s car.

Within its unique interior architecture the cockpit is isolated in an active, yet protective pod structure. This helps promote a sensorial and highly self-indulgent driving experience. One of the main aims of the car's interior design was to develop a practical and interactive space, which wraps around the occupants. The driver-oriented cockpit, which combines functionality with organic sculpted shapes, creates an attractive, fun-to-drive atmosphere.

This is further underlined by:

  • Inclusion of smooth surfaces embedded with discrete or hidden touch activated sensors
  • "Floating" elements pulsating and glowing with tinted ambient lighting

The interior is brought alive by a variety of technologies, effects and surfaces, including: Thoughtful ambient LED lighting by Lumination, LLC glows through ceramic components, silicone applied next to leather, to give a pleasing tactile and visual experience.

The colour harmony of the interior has been designed to enhance the feeling of serenity and spaciousness, which in turn relates directly to the high level of comfort enjoyed by the passengers. The mixed effects, textures and colours add sophistication to the dynamic forms and strong presence of the car. Functional elements made from aluminum emphasize the more technical aspects, contrasting with and highlighting the softness of the interior materials.